English
Language
Paper 1
What does the paper look like?
2 hours long; 1 hour for each section
 Section
A: Reading
Students read ONE non-fiction prose passage and
answer 3-5 questions on it using PEE/PQA
 Section
B
Students answer ONE question from a choice of 3
Where can I get past papers from?
Class teacher
 AQA website:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/aqacertificate/english-language-8705/pastpapers-and-mark-schemes
 Central Resource Library at School (print off at
school or take a USB stick into school):
Start/Computer/Central Resource
Library/English/000Past Papers for GCSE

Reading
Section A
Top Tips for the Reading
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read the questions first
Use a highlighter (these will be provided) to
highlight key words
Ensure you always link back to the question in
your answer
Practise reading articles and summarising them
using quotes. There are extracts and questions in
the booklet all pupils have received from their
class teachers
Practise past papers (available from AQA online
or from class teachers) in order to ensure timing is
accurate
Mark Scheme for the Reading
Section





Use PEE/PQA
Use short quotes
Ensure you infer meaning from the quotes and
develop your explanation or analysis of the
quote
Aim for between 2-4 paragraphs depending
on the number of marks awarded for the
question (normally between 4-10 marks)
Foundation paper: sometimes it asks you to list
for question 1 and this is fine without using PEE.
Higher Paper
Example Question and Answer
Sample Question (Summer
2012)
Text: Down and Out in Paris and London by
George Orwell
Question 4:
What does this passage tell us about
attitudes towards tramps in England in the
early 1930s?
Sample answer for the Reading
Section (Q4)
Sample answer for the Reading
Section (Q4)
Foundation Paper
Sample Question and Answer
Sample Question (Summer
2012)
Text: Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
Question 5:
 Refer to the whole passage (lines 1 – 37).
What impression of football supporters
does the writer give? Select evidence
from the whole passage (lines 1 – 37) to
support your ideas.
Sample answer for the Reading
Section (Q5)
Sample answer for the Reading
Section (Q5)
Sample answer for the Reading
Section (Q5)
Writing
Section B
Tasks
 They
are normally very similar for both
HIGHER and FOUNDATION
 They
are loosely linked to the extract that
is used for Section A
Sample
Questions
HIGHER
(Summer
2012)
Sample Questions Foundation
(Summer 2012)
Writing Options
1.
2.
3.
Story
Description
Writing to argue/writing an argument
Top Tips for the Writing Section






Centres should be aware that candidates who offer very brief responses
(3 paragraphs or less as a rough guide) are inevitably limiting their
potential achievement.
The Mark Scheme is divided into bands with each band containing four
bullet points. The first of these is focused on content, the second on
structure, the third on sentence structure and variation, and the fourth on
technical accuracy. Centres should be aware that each of these four
elements is given equal weight in the assessment of writing.
It was noted that comma splicing was a frequent and detrimental
feature of some candidates’ work, whilst the achievement of others was
hampered by an inability to use commas accurately within sentences.
Spend 5-10 minutes planning a good response – the examiners are
looking for a ‘consciously crafted’ piece of work.
Remember to ensure that you are writing for a specific audience and
purpose
Spend 5 minutes at the end checking your work
You could create a plan that looks like this:
Idea/part of the story
Technique
Technique
Mark Scheme for the Writing
Section
It is divided EQUALLY into 4 sections:
1. Content
2. Structure
3. Sentence structure and variation
4. Technical accuracy (SPAG)
Content: what are they looking
for?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clear ideas and communication
Conscious decisions made about writing
to suit AUDIENCE and PURPOSE;
evidence of crafting for a purpose and
audience
Selection of vocabulary for effect
Use of discourse markers
Structure – what are they
looking for?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Paragraphs
Repetition or a cohesive device
Timeline
More than one narrative strand
Connectives (if applicable)
3rd person, 1st person
Range of appropriate and sophisticated vocabulary
Range of writing techniques used, e.g. similes
Top End: use of a narrative structure and/or genre such as
stream of consciousness, epistolary, Martian perspective,
Todorov, tragedy, thriller, gothic and so on.
What are they looking for Sentence Structure and
Variation?



Simple – short sentence normally with a
subject, verb and object.
Compound – 2 or more simple sentences
using a connective such as: and, but, or,
although etc.
Complex – use of a subordinate clause
Vary your use of these sentence types for
impact.
What are they looking for –
Technical Accuracy?
1.
2.
Spelling of common words MUST be correct. This
includes homophones (their/they’re/there) as
well as words that are commonly misspelt such as
successful, necessary, beautiful, beginning and
so on. See here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7930745/
Separate-is-most-commonly-misspelt-word.html
Punctuation must be correct – misuse of commas
was a common complaint by the exam board.
Students should be using a range of punctuation
accurately.
Higher: Section B
Example question and answer
Sample Question
“At about seven o’clock the cell doors were
locked on the outside.”
Write a story which starts or ends with this
sentence.
(25 marks)
Sample answer for the Writing
Section
What do I do with this?



Use it as an exemplary piece of writing and
it’s only 3 ½ sides long.
It achieved 25/25 despite 1 or 2 glaringly
obvious mistakes
You could use the mark scheme on slides 2226 and highlight evidence of how they
achieve this mark, using a different highlighter
colour for each strand of the mark scheme
Foundation: Section B
Example Question and Answer
Sample Question
Describe a frightening place.
(25 marks)
Sample answer for the Writing Section
What do I do with this?



Use it as an exemplary piece of writing and
it’s only 2 ½ sides long.
It achieved 25/25 despite 1 or 2 glaringly
obvious mistakes
You could use the mark scheme on slides 2226 and highlight evidence of how they
achieve this mark, using a different highlighter
colour for each strand of the mark scheme
Useful Hints and Tips
Revision Ideas
If you only have 10-15
minutes…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Print out a past paper
Read the questions for Section A
Read the extract, making brief notes in margin as
you go to ensure you understand what you’re
reading
Re-read/skim read the extract, highlighting
quotes in response to the questions
Try to do this in 15 minutes – be strict with yourself
and use a timer.
When you have more time, write the answers up
using PEE/PQA
Use the detail in the extract to explore
the writer.
Are they witty?
Do you get a sense of their attitude?
What have we learnt about them?
How would you identify their style?
What’s their purpose?
What tone does the writer convey?
Are they likeable?
Can you relate to them?
What techniques does the writer
employ?
Paragraph structure.
Sentence types.
Imagery.
Repetition
Rhetorical questioning
Emotive language
Emphatic Language
Sense of humour
What techniques does the writer
employ?
Formal style
Colloquial language
Personal pronoun
Punctuation
Rule of three
Simile
Metaphor
Sound bites (catchy phrases)
What techniques does the writer
employ?
Involve the audience
Analogy
Conviction
Alliteration
Empathy
Contrasts
Elaborate language
Verbs – adjectives - adverbs
The writer creates a sense of…
The passage succeeds in…
The author’s use of…
The passage is written in …
The author’s method of…
Structurally, the piece…
There are clear tensions in the writing…
Websites to help you with
SPAG
1.
2.
3.
4.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/gram
mar/grammar_tutorial/page_41.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/com
masplice.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQfJdh
yeQfU
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/gram
mar/punctuation/commas/game.shtml
Writing to Argue:
Helpful Hints and Techniques
Writing to Argue
The purpose of this style of writing is to present
a case for or against a point of view to convince
the reader.
Use the present
You need to…
tense and morality
Use a formal tone
Write about
counter arguments
and say why they
are wrong
Make your writing
impersonal. Don’t
direct accusations
at anyone
Clearly state your point of
view in the introduction
Writing to Argue Continued…
You also need to…
Conclude by
restating
your opinion
Develop your
paragraphs
logically
Use connectives to
link paragraphs
and within
paragraphs
Use modal verbs
to show options
Go through
A FOREST!
Remember to use PEE – make
a point, give the evidence and
expand upon your ideas
Go through A FOREST:
A: ANECDOTES - A personal experience & story as
proof.
F: FACTS – Don’t know any? Then borrow some from
Section A of the exam or invent them!
O: OPINION - Strong words, such as, ‘It is
outrageous that…’
R: RHETORICAL QUESTIONS - Express yourself
powerfully with questions that don’t need an answer,
but remember to add question marks.
E: EXAMPLES & EXPERTS - Give examples as
support. Invent an expert and quote from them: for
example, ‘Professor Jane Morris of Oxford University
says that…’
S: STATISTICS – Invent them! Eg “In a recent
survey conducted by York University, 73%…”
T: TRIPLES - Lists of three –maybe with alliteration?
For example, “It is cruel, callous and criminal to…”